London house prices: Thousands of London homes are left vacant long-term

I am a reporter at City A.M. looking at the stories, people and data behind political events from the UK, Europe and further afield. I also write about infrastructure and transport, as well as broader issues around global business.

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James Nickerson

More than 22,000 homes have been left empty by their owners for more than six months (Source: Getty)

Despite a chronic housing shortage in the capital, tens of thousands of homes in London are left vacant on a long-term basis, according to new data.

More than 22,000 homes have been left empty by their owners for more than six months, despite soaring rents and property prices, data obtained under Freedom of Information by the Guardian shows.

The data also finds a large number of the homes have been left vacant for years, rather than months.

Given that homeowners are not obliged to report to the local council if their property is empty, and councils don't have to keep registers of empty homes, the figures could be even higher.

The data comes from 31 of 33 London authorities that responded to the FoI request sent in October 2015. Westminster council said it couldn't supply the dates the properties became vacant, while Bromley council did not respond.